Pale Fire
Pale Fire (1962) is a novel by the Russian- American author Vladimir Nabokov , in 1962 published in English and translated into Russian by himself. The novel includes the poem "Pale Fire" by the fictional author John Shade, plus an introduction concluding comments of the (crazy) fictional scientist Charles Kinbote. Contents * 1 Content and typing ** 1.1 Poem ** 1.2 Foreword and commentary ** 1.3 Composition and Interpretation ** 1.4 Valuation * 2 Start Policies "Pale Fire" * 3 References * 4 External links * 5 Note Content and typing Poem "Pale Fire" is the name of Shades poem consisting of 999 lines, in four parts ( cantos ). It describes a number of events from Shades life. The first part is mainly about Shades early encounter with death and the supernatural. Part two deals with his family and the apparent suicide of his daughter. In part three, he reflects on life after death, and he expresses a vague hope in the existence of "higher powers" which would manifest itself in the accidental. Part four describes some personal memories from his life and poetic work. Foreword and commentary "Pale Fire" is preceded by a foreword by Shades neighbor and fellow scientist Kinbote, and followed by his extensive commentary. Much more than just a commentary on the poem gives Kinbote thereby his own version Shade of life, as well as the "friendship" between them. He tells the story of the deposed king Charles II of the far northern country Zembla, who managed to escape after a socialist revolution, and links that theme through all sorts of improbable clues Shades poem. Kinbote further talks about the assassin Gradus, which should kill Charles II commissioned the new rulers.Eventually loom for the reader all sorts of possible scenarios, as Kinbote would perhaps himself Charles II and Shade accidentally killed by Gradus. Eventually, the image presents itself is that Kinbote is a madman who has imagined everything above. You would think that Kinbote the creator of both Shade and the poem, only to discover at some point that it could be reversed. Or that beat neither option. Really clear it is never all. The critics are still not out. Composition and interpretation "Pale Fire" is a mystery novel, full of allusions . What exactly covers the history is hard to tell. The book asks a lot of readers and is in a way similar to a highly complex puzzle or an intricate chess problems, such as Nabokov, who like solved but also invented. The composition of "Pale Fire" therefore contributes greatly to this comparison: From the first pages of the tour begins a highly complex system of references to the commentary, the commentary to the poem, between the various notes in the commentary and so on. The reader the book can also take it to them in several sequences. There is nothing wrong with going to attack it via the index or follow the links as it does not hurt to first read the comments and then the poem, while just start at the beginning and read through to the end a possibility is. Rating "Pale Fire" is seen as a typical example of metafiction . Many see it as Nabokov's best work. Nabokov biographer Bryan Boyd calls it his "most perfect novel" and wrote a whole study. In 1999 the book was incorporated into Modern Library's list of 100 best English-language novels of the last century. Begin Policies "Pale Fire" Nabokov plays chess with his wife Vera he loved chess problems I was the shadow side of the tail, By 't false azure of the window in his sails, Struck: I saw the sweeping ash gray fluff - his flight I continued in the reflected sky; And also from the inside, I saw twice Myself, my lamp, an apple on a scale: When I pulled away the curtain, hung over the grass Very particular furniture, reflected in dark glass; And how sublime as snow is just On my optastte strip of grass, my bed And chair were carefully planted down At that snow, in which crystals country! (Translation: Peter Verstegen ) References * Boyd, Brian: Vladimir Nabokov: The American Years Princeton, New Jersey, 1991.. * Boyd, Brian: Nabokov's Pale Fire: The Magic of Artistic Discovery. New Jersey, 1999. * Guus Luyters: Vladimir Nabokov: a small biography. Amsterdam, 1996. Category:Book 1962 Category:By Vladimir Nabokov